Air-duct for glass-drawing pots and method of liberating and setting the same.



R. L. FRlNK.

AIR DUCT FOR GLASS DRAWING POTS AND METHOD OF LIBEHATING AND SETTING FHESAME.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25 I912 lafented Dec. 28

ROBERT L. FRINK, F LANCASTER, OHIO.

AIR-DUCT FOR GLASS-DRAVIING POTS AND METHOD OF LIBERATING AND SETTINGTHE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented her. as, 1191154 Application filed November 25, 1912. SerialNo. 733,333.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT L. FRINK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lancaster, in the county of Fairfield and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Duets forGlass-Drawing Pots and Methods of Liberating and Setting the Same, ofwhich the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to a novel combination of parts which overcomes anobstacle that heretofore has been of serious character in the use oflass-drawing pots. from which cylinders of glass are produced bymechanical means, similar to that shown in my pending application Sr.No. 416,230, filed February 17th, 1908, and also in my pendingapplication Sr. No. 485,671, filed March 25th, 1909, and in which isshown an 20 air duct passing upwardly through and from the bottom of thepot, the glass batch. In the use of this apparatus it was founddesirable to supply means whereby the residual glass remaining in thepot, after the cylinder was formed, could be melted down and removed bydraining through the bottom, and for this purpose as is shownin pendingapplication 416,230, 1' have provided a plug for closing the openingthrough which such residual glass could be drained, but after myadoption of the air-supply means, and duct which conveyed said air intothe interior of the cylinder, as is shown in pending application485,677, the plug before mentioned obviously could not be used, and Ihave therefore designed the present form of combined air duct andclosure hereindescribed. i My invention includes also the process ofmanipulating the apparatus, that is of liberating and setting the airduct.

In the drawings Figure l is a side elevation, partially in section, of apair of glassdrawing receptacles, mounted. upon their revolving support.Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail of the plug,showing a modification of the bottom.

Like letters. indicate like parts in all figures.

arising above A, A indicate the pots, the construction. of which may beof any suitable design, but as here shown is the like or equivalent ofthat shown and described in my pending application. No. structed of ametal jacket, a fire-clay receptacle contained therein, inter-posingbetween said receptacle and jacket insulating material of a suitablecharacter. plugs D being used to keep the clay receptacle in position.

B represents channel sections carried by a base member C, and pivotallysupported thereon. Upon these channel sections are supported the pots A,said sections being supported upon the member C by bracket or crosspiece D.

Within each pot there is illustrated a member, the principal object ofmy invention, which consists of a fire clay tube E of suitablecross-section, large enough to have the required mechanical strengthaftera hole, or passage F has been made therethrough of suiiicient sizeto be equal to, or in excess of the air passage F through the 5 bottomof the pot. This tube may be constructed in such a manner that itsbottom surface shall be slightly concave, as shown in Fig. 3, it beingfound that such design has advantage over other forms for reasons 30hereinafter explained.

The simplicity of this arrangement and construction is obvious, howeverat the time it was first designed, all of those who were practical andskilled in the art, declared'it to be impracticable and impossible ofuse and application, because the molten glass whichis ladled into the,pot and completely surrounds the tube, would disengage it from its seatand cause it to float upwardly and away from its intended position.However, my method of using this tube has overcome any such difficulty,and this is as follows: Assuming that a roller or cylinder of glass hasjust been completed in one oi" vessels A, this is then severed from thesmall amount of glass remaining in the pot, and the frame carryin thepot is then rotated so that the latter s all come underneath the usualheat ing station, where the pot and glass therein 10 416,230, my pot iscon- 55 receive heat enough to cause the glass to be quite soft andliquid. An iron bar .or other suitable implement is placed against thetop of the tube, or duct, and it is pushed over prior to the transfer ofthis pot to a position to receive the new charge of molten glass fromwhich another cylinder 1s to be drawn. The duct F having two or threeminutes, or perhaps longer, to rest in this position, by reason of itsweight and the ejo temperature, will have made close contact with thebottom of the pot and by reason of its construction, the outer edgeswill have come in closer contact with the bottom than the inner edges,which leaves a somewhat greater mass of glass G under that portion ofthe tube immediately surrounding the opening F. By reason of the currentof air which is passing through F 'preceding the ladling of the glassinto the pot, this glass which is beneath the tube and between thesurfaces of the tube and bottom of the pot becomes chilled at once.Furthermore, it is well known that glass which lies in immediate contactwith clay materials, and at sufficiently high temperatures,--suchtemperatures being considerably below that which is here produced,absorbs no inconsiderable alumina, which raises the melting point, alsothe softening point of the glass, and very materially increases thesurface tension and viscosity at any given temperature. Therefore itwill be obvious that by reason of the peculiar design, method of use,cooling effect of the air, and chemical changes, I am enabled toaccomplish that which heretofore has been considered as impracticableand impossible, and because of this I claim:

1. The combination with a glass working vessel having an opening in itsbottom, of a tubular member adapted to rest upon the bottom of saidvessel and normally to extend above the level of the glass contained insaid vessel. H

2. The combination with a glass working vessel having an opening in itsbottom,rof a tubular member adapted to rest upon the bottom of saidvessel and normally to extend above the level of the glass contained. insaid vessel, said member in such position acting as an innerretaining'wall for the glass and being movable to uncover the opening insaid vessel to permit the latter to drain.

, 3. The combination with a glass working vessel having a drain openingin its botbottom and provided with an air passage therethroughregistering with such drain opening when said member is positioned toretain glass within said vessel.

4. The combination with a glass working vessel having a drain opening inits bottom, of a frusto-conical member movably mounted onsuch bottom andprovided with an air passage therethrough registering with such drainopening when said member is positioned over the latter.

5. The combination with a substantially flat-bottomed receptacle forglass provided with a heat-insulating support and an opening verticallythrough its bottom and said support, of a movable tubular member havingan opening adapted to register with the opening in the botto of saidreceptacle and said support, said ni ehiber being tiltable to uncoversuch opening, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a substantially flat-bottomed receptacle forglass provided with a heat-insulating support and an opening verticallythrough its bottom and said support, of a movable tubular member havingan opening adapted to register with the opening in the bottom of saidreceptacle and support, said member having its bottom concave and beingtiltable to uncover such opening. substantially as described.

7 The combination with a substantially fiat-bottomed receptacle forglass provided with a heat-insulating support and an openingvertically,through its bottom and said support, of a,movable tubularmember of general frusto-conical form having an opening adapted toregister with the opening in the bottom of said receptacle and saidsupport, said member having its bottom concave and being tiltable touncover such opening, substantiallv as described. I

8. The method of sealing a movable tubular fluid-conducting member inthe bottom of a glass working receptacle, which consists in heating saidmember and receptacle until the glass adhering to them becomes fluid,placing said ,member in proper position in said receptacle, passing acooling fluid through said member sufficient to chill,

at least a portion of the glass between the same and said receptacle,and then pouring into the receptacle a charge of glass.

9. The method of effecting the liberation and affixing of a movable airduct in the perforated bottom of a glass working receptacle, whichconsists in heating said duct ,and receptacle until the glass adheringto them and securing the duct in place is fused, moving said duct so asto uncover the per foration in the receptacle, continuing the tom, of amember movably mounted on such heating until the residual glass hassubstantially entirely drained through such perforation, the film ofglass still adhering to 7 said duct and receptacle being fluid, setting'xi said duct again in osition, passing sufiicient air through said ductto congeal the glass between the same and the bottom of he receptacle,thereby securing said duct again in place, and then pouring in thereceptacle a fresh charge of lass.

In testimony whereof I a '2: my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ROBERT L. FRIN K. Witnesses:

S. O. HILL, H. F. MOONEY.

